Topaz
by Megan the Hedgehog
Summary: Zuko attempts to capture the Avatar again... what will happen when things go wrong? Zuko-Katara
1. Chapter 1

PLEASE NOTE: This is MY version of what happens after "The Waterbending Scroll", and I am not acknoledging "Jet" because 1)I am a Zuko+Katara person, not Jet+Katara, and 2)I don't have to. If you have not seen "The Waterbending Scroll", I suggest you watch it or look up a summary on the internet because this story will make no sense whatsoever otherwise. So, anyway...

Chapter 1

Prince Zuko angrily looked over the waterfall. His boat, the only way to get back to his ship, was at the bottom, shattered into shards of steel. His uncle, Iroh, voiced in behind him.

"Prince Zuko, you are really going to get a kick out this... The lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!" He held the tile in front of him, smiling triumplantly. Zuko huffed loudly, then snatched the tile clean from his uncle's fingers. Iroh looked at his fingers, as if to wonder if something was there. Zuko hurled the tile over the waterfall as hard as he could; it had practically caused all of this trouble. He felt himself smile as the jinxed lotus tile splashed into the water below. He was about to turn and walk away, but something stopped him. He looked down the waterfall once more, and eyed the flow of the river, as if to look for something. He had not seen Aang, Katara, and Sokka fly away on Appa moments before.

He told himself what he was looking for was a sign of where they went, where he was going next. When he found nothing, he looked into the sky, searching for the flying bison among the clouds. He grunted, then turned to walk away. Uncle Iroh continued to stare at his empty hand, until Prince Zuko looked over his shoulder and barked, "Come on, Uncle! Our only way is to walk back." He had said "walk" with obvious displeasure in his voice; he was used to riding in a large ship, rather than hiking. The trees, the grass, the clouds and animals- All so boring!

They continued to walk until Prince Zuko stopped in his tracks. He dug around in the loose places in his armor where he normally kept his small trinkets, and quickly pulled out a necklace. The blue satin with a beautiful, intricate water charm pinned to it was just big enough to fit around someone's collarbone. His deep, topaz eyes gazed through the translucent charm. "I never gave it back," he said flatly.

His uncle stopped and glanced at what Zuko was holding. He looked up at Zuko, whose eyes were still transfixed into the necklace. "Hmm? To who? ...That girl?"

Zuko grunted at the comment. "That girl" did not do her any justice. He thought for a moment, trying to remember the girl's name... "Yes. Katara. I never gave the necklace back."

Uncle Iroh chuckled. "And why does it matter to you?" He then added playfully, "Since when did you care about someone other than yourself?" Zuko glared at his uncle and snarled, causing Iroh to draw back a bit, though he didn't show regret for that comment. Saying nothing, they continued onward to their ship.

Appa gave a yawn that, frankly, sounded more like a groan of distaste. He flapped his tail lazily in the air. Katara looked over the back of Appa's leather saddle, back to where Zuko was walking away. But from so far away, all she could see was a dark red figure. She blinked in silent shock as Zuko stopped, but turned around when he continued. Sokka turned from digging in his bag for some food, and said dryly, "Whatcha looking at?"

Katara shrugged. "Nothing, just enjoying the view," she said with a tiny smile. Now it was Sokka's turn to shrug, as he continued to dig around in his duffel pouch. Momo hopped from Aang's shoulder and sat next to Katara, and purred as he rubbed against Katara's side. Katara giggled and began to stroke his large ears.

She reached up to her neck, where her mother's necklace usually hung, but sighed in discontent when she ackowledged that Zuko still held it in his possesion. How had he gotten a hold of it, anyway? Perhaps they would meet again... She almost hoped they would. Momo blinked.

Sokka looked from his bag once more and spoke to Aang. "Where to now? 'Cuz we're out of food again." Aang rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure there's another village close by..." he said, unsure. Sokka groaned. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

By the time Prince Zuko and Uncle Iroh got back to the ship, the sun had already halfway set over the purple-orange sea. They had silently walked back, not speaking the whole way, each lost in their own thoughts. Zuko finally spoke up. "Uncle, I have an idea."

Iroh blinked. "Yes?"

"You know where the next town is."

"Mmm-hmm."

"There's no doubt that Water Tribe peasant has eaten all of their food."

Iroh chuckled.

"...So, maybe we should ambush them. You know, since most of the time they're expecting us."

Uncle Iroh considered this. And Zuko thought of this all by himself, he thought. He chuckled again, then nodded. "That's a good plan. We should be there by morning."

Zuko smirked his normal, venomous smirk. A good plan. "I'm going to go on to bed. Wake me up when we get there."

Uncle Iroh was plainly shocked. "You? Sleep? On a mission? Uh... Okay. I guess you need some rest, after that long walk." Iroh felt silly for being surprised; Zuko didn't really have the greatest stamina... Physcally, or mentally.

When Zuko reached his quarters, the room farthest up from the deck, he decided to meditate, at least for a few minutes, before taking his nap. He set out his candles by the wall, and, using his fingertip, lit each one carefully. He then sat, concentrating on keeping the flame of each candle steady, unwavering. Then, a loud noise came from below. It was that blasted horn that Iroh had bought from the market that day! Oh, how he loathed music night. His face tensed with discontent, and the candles wavered. Thank the gods there are no woodwinds, he thought to himself, thinking of how Iroh wanted some woodwind instruments. It would only add to the hideous noise.

Giving up, he took off his heavy armor and slipped on his sleeping clothes; a burgundy shirt and plaid pants and a pair of socks of the same color. Zuko splashed some water over his face before falling asleep, and he looked over his face in the small mirror. Unaware to it himself, any young lady would have deemed him handsome, had it not been for the coincidentally flame-shaped scar that obscured most of the left side of his face.

When he finally slipped into bed, the music night was hardly over. Several hours passed before he finally found sleep.

Sokka happily muched on a piece of bread as they walked back from the village to their campsite. Katara absentmindedly looked around. Aang led the group. Finally, they got back to the campsite. Aang lit a fire, and they cooked a meager amount of the meat they bought, and settled aound the campfire to talk before they went to sleep, as they always did. "So where do you all want to go tomorrow?" Aang asked.

"...How much longer will it take to get the the North Pole? We almost forgot about that. We've just been town-hopping lately"  
said Sokka, unaware that he was part of the reason, eating all of the food all of the time.

Aang pulled out a wrinkled old map. "Uhh... A few more weeks, maybe."

Katara brushed off the comment. "And we can still practice on the way there."

Aang smiled and nodded. "I don't mean to brag, but I think I'm making pretty good progress. I'll learn the other three elements in no time."

Sokka begged to differ. "...What about Firebending? All of the Firebenders have been enlisted in their army. There's no way you could learn that, without losing our heads," said Sokka, distressed.

Well, all the Firebenders... but one..., Katara thought to herself. She was going to say something, what she thought they should do about it, but she decided to wait and cross that brige when they came to it. 


	3. Chapter 3

Uncle Iroh carefully knocked on Prince Zuko's open door, wondering if Zuko would yell at him, even though he told him to wake him up when they reached the docks of the next town. "Zuko..."

Zuko did not respond, at least not verbally. The foot that was not covered by Zuko's blanket twitched.

"Zuko..!"

Prince Zuko sat up and groaned tiredly, and he wiped his eyes with the side of his fisted hand. "...Huh?"

"We're here."

"Oh... Okay..."

Uncle Iroh nodded, and left. Zuko stood out of bed and tripped over to the small water basin, and rinsed his face once more with cold water, to help wake him up. After a last glance at the scar on his face, he put on his armor. He met Iroh on the dock.

"I sent out a soldier to find the campsite where the Avatar is sleeping while you were putting on your armor," said Iroh. "He returned," Iroh motioned to the soldier, "and we're going to follow him. We'd be better off if we leave the others here."

Zuko glanced back at the ship, then at Iroh. "Yes... Let's go."

The three of them walked on into the forest. "Here," the soldier whispered gruffly, motioning to a bush. Zuko crouched down to the bush's level and pulled back some branches. He smiled his delightfully evil smile.

Katara awoke with a start. She turned to where Zuko was peeking through the bushes, but he had already closed the branches back, not leaving a trace. Katara cocked her head, then pushed on Aang's shoulder. "Aang," she whispered.

Aang opened his eyes. "Guhh... Katara? What's wrong..?" he said with a yawn.

"I think..." she carefully pointed at the bush were Zuko had been looking through, "that we're being watched..."

The wispering had woken up Sokka. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Don't be silly, Katara... We're not being--WOAH!"

Deciding it was the right moment, Zuko lept out from the bushes before Sokka finished his sentance. Sokka's voice cracked and his mouth hung open as he stared up at Zuko. Iroh tumbled out after Zuko, landing belly-first on the ground. He grunted, and Zuko glanced at Iroh and scowled. "Avatar, I will NOT let you escape this time!" He jumped out to grab Aang, then Katara deftly opened her small canteen and splashed some water into Zuko's face. Aang used this edge to hop away quickly and Zuko missed Aang. Before he hit the ground, he shot a ball of fire at Aang. Katara quickly jumped in the way and the fire ball smote her side.

"Dang!" Zuko shouted as he hit the ground. Aang looked down at Katara, then back up at Zuko.

"You'll pay for that!" Aang shouted as he swiftly swung his staff to Zuko's head. Zuko was not quick enough to evade the staff and it knocked him unconcious.

When Zuko awoke, he was in bed. A thin cloth bandage was wrapped around his head, with ice under the part of the bandage above his ear, where the staff struck him. Uncle Iroh was standing by him. "I have some good news, and bad news..."

Zuko winced.

"The good news is, that huge purple bruise on your head will go away soon, and nothing else was damaged. That's what you get for being so foolish.

"And the bad news?" Zuko said, uninthusiastically.

"...The Avatar got away. But we managed to capture the Water Tribe girl," he said, as if that would make up for it.

"WHAT!" Zuko shouted. The ice melted and steam rose from the bandage. 


	4. Chapter 4

Zuko got up from bed and walked down to the prisonhold. Katara lay in the corner, arms wrapped around the bandage around her waist, where Zuko had burned her. She shivered. Zuko looked into her face and felt a strange longing. He walked back up to his room and ran back to the prisonhold. He slid the barred door open, brushing away a cobweb as he walked to Katara's cold figure. Under his arm, he held a wrapped up blanket, and in his hand, he held a small dripping rag. Katara's eyes opened weakly, though her sight was still a little dim. She could still make out Zuko, leaned beside her. She felt the bandage being unwrapped, the wet, warm rag being rubbed over her burn. She flinched, and Zuko hesitated. He only continued to clean the wound when her muscles relaxed once more. When he was done, he wrapped her up again, and laid the blanket over her. Katara fell asleep, and Zuko silently left.

He then proceeded to walk up to the galley to grab a bite to eat. He met his uncle in the hallway on the way there. "Where have you been?" Iroh asked.

"Uhh..." Zuko wondered what to say. "...Down in the... prisonhold?"

"The prisonhold," Iroh repeated dryly, as if not convinced.

"Umm... Yeah."

"...Nephew, what exactly were you doing down there?"

A bead of sweat rolled down the back of his neck. But he couldn't lie. Not to his uncle. "I was... checking on the girl."

"Uh-huh." said Iroh. That went better than expected, thought Zuko, releived. Iroh settled down and poured some tea, and Zuko grabbed a piece of pork, then turned to go back to his room. Never had he felt so many emotions... Nervousness, longing, caring. Caring! He felt like slapping himself within an inch of his life for that. Never was he to be kind to a prisoner! He shook his head in self-disbelief. What was wrong with him?

Katara awoke and yawned. She decided that perhaps she should lift a hand from that bandage. It was starting to get wet from her sweaty palms. Not that it wasn't wet from being washed. She felt a fuzzy blanket over her, and welcomed how warm it was. Did Prince Zuko leave this? That mean jerk? She blinked. He washed that burn, too. The one that he inflicted; that was odd. Caring for a person you intentionally hurt. Wait, it wasn't intentional... But still. That was an odd thing for Zuko to do. ...Lighting that candle a few feet away was odd, too. It made no difference whether she suffered in the darkness or not...

Zuko returned. Katara opened her dry mouth and said, "What... are you doing here?"

Zuko didn't answer. He advanced toward Katara, with one hand behind his back. Oh, I'm in for it, Katara thought. But, instead, he scooped up the back of her head with his hand and held it up. With his other hand, the one behind his back, he held a glass of water. "Drink," was all he said. He held the glass of water up to her mouth, and Katara obeyed, hoping he wouldn't shove the glass down her throat. She'd hate that.

"Why are you doing this?" Katara whispered.

Zuko looked to the side, averting her gaze. He thought for a moment. Not turning back to look at her, he said, "I... I don't know."

He stood up, set the glass, still half-full, next to Katara, then left. He turned to walk to his room, where he bumped into Uncle Iroh, who was standing there the whole time. "Checking on her again, are you?" he said accusingly.

Zuko had to think of some excuse. "Because... The sevants are lazy. Yes. They should take better care," said Zuko, straightening his posture.

"The servants."

"Yeah."

"Since when were they supposed to care for prisoners?"

"Since... Umm... Shoot, Uncle, I dunno."

Iroh chuckled and walked around Zuko, off to the galley. "Now, to fix myself some more tea," he said to himself. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It had been a few days since Katara's capture, and Zuko unintentionally created a routine. When he woke up, he'd bring Katara some breakfast, and in the afternoon, he'd get her another small something to eat. Most of the time, they never spoke. One morning, he walked by the cell Katara was being kept in and found her sipping something from a small cup. He stopped to look. The room smelled of tea. For some reason unknown to Katara, Zuko tossed his head in the air and laughed. Loudly. Uncle Iroh seemed to dislike the fact he checked on Katara at least twice daily; now he was bringing her tea! The loud laugh was somewhat villainous, the kind of laugh those big, bad guys from movies laugh; that "Mwahahaha!" sort of thing. This only confused Katara more. She then looked down at her tea and remembered the conversation Iroh and Zuko had outside the prisonhold three days ago, out of her view. She thought for a moment, and realized what Zuko was laughing at. She found herself giggling a moment later.

Zuko found Iroh sitting and playing some wierd game in the room where the steering wheel was placed, which now doubled as his game-and-tea room."Uncle, what were you doing down in the prisonhold?" he asked. He wondered if Iroh would have the same response he did.

"Giving the girl some tea. That water you gave her a few days ago was turning yellow."

Zuko scratched the back of his head. He had forgotten all about changing her water! "...So?"

"So?" Iroh shot back amusingly.

Zuko growled, and, before he left the room, he moved one of the wooden tiles belonging to one of the other players.

"Hey Iroh, look!" The other player pointed to the moved tile. "I won!"

Zuko slammed the door behind him. Why does Iroh sit around playing games all day? He has better things to do. Even though Zuko was in charge, Iroh was technically his teacher and elder. Zuko couldn't really make him do anything, but that doesn't stop him from trying sometimes. He walked out to the deck of his ship and rested his elbows on the railing. The salty sea air soothed his nerves. It was still dark. Hmm.

Katara continued to sip from her tea. "This is pretty good," she acknowledged. She took a last gulp and sat the teacup beside her. Her wound was healing a bit, and she had managed to move to the small, cheap bed that folded out from the side of the wall. When she had first entered the prisonhold, she was tossed in by a guard, without the help of Zuko, who was still unconcious at the time. She sat and wondered... Why was Zuko bringing her food? He had said it was because the servants were lazy, but that couldn't be it. She still hadn't quite gotten over Zuko walking in for the first time... And where was Zuko keeping her necklace? She still hadn't gotten it back yet. Perhaps she would ask him for it next time he walked in.

Little did she know that would be a few moments later. Without a word, Zuko opened the prison door and motioned her to join him. Wondering if she could walk by now, she stumbled out the door and was standing next to Zuko. He smiled a soft smile. A smile different from the first smile she saw. This one wasn't cruel, persuasive, or taunting. This one was... just a smile. Katara smiled back, which caused Zuko to smile a little more. "Right this way," he said, stepping to the side. Katara hesitated, then walked in the direction Zuko had come from. He followed her.

In a few minutes, they both ended up on the deck. The sky was a beautiful pink-and-orange hue. Zuko took the lead and ushered her to the railing. Katara walked until she was beside Zuko, looked out over the ocean, and gasped. "Sunrise!"

Zuko nodded and smiled. "I thought you would like to see it."

Katara nodded in a distracted air. "You didn't have to do this."

"Yes I did."

"Uh..."

Uncle Iroh walked out on deck and pecked Zuko on the shoulder. "Zuko?"

Zuko almost jumped in surprise. "Uh-- What?"

"It's almost time for your moring training."

Katara looked at Iroh. "May I watch?"

Iroh looked to Zuko, awaiting his approval. When none came, he said, "Oh, sure. I guess." 


	6. Chapter 6 Revised

Chapter 6

Prince Zuko nodded, then left. In a few moments he was back, wearing a bright red vest, lined with a golden material of some kind. Zuko's bare arms caught Katara's attention; the only times she had seen him were when he was wearing his bulky armor. He was so... Muscular. Somehow this surprised her.

"You will be training with me today, Prince Zuko. The other men insisted that they take a break," said Iroh.

...Ouch. A break? That scared Katara a bit, wondering if either Zuko held back around Aang and the others, or his men were weak.

In a few minutes, the sun was completely over the ocean. Training began. Iroh and Zuko stood, facing each other, waiting for the other to move, looking for something that would give them the advantage. None was to be found. Zuko began to shiver with anticipation, waiting for Iroh to move. Somehow, Iroh himself stood still, like a statue. Suddenly, Zuko exploded with energy, firing fireballs in Iroh's direction. Iroh crossed his arms over his face and parried the blow easily. He then shot his own array of fire at Prince Zuko.

Zuko lept out of the way, shooting a fireball in midair. Iroh was barely fast enough to block it. Katara decided to back off a bit so as not to get burned again. The fight continued, each blocking eachother's blows. Katara's eyes sparked with entertainment, watching the two throw arrays of fire punches and sparking spin-kicks. She had never seen anything like their Firebending style. She regretted she would never be able to perform moves of that fashion with water. The training session seemed to go on for hours... They both seemed tireless, young Zuko more so. Uncle Iroh is an elderly man, after all. Finally, after constant motion and fire, the two stopped. Katara wondered why, until she realized they were both in the same place and position as they were when they began. Iroh clapped his hands together and nodded. "You're getting better, but remember- Firebending is about the breath, NOT the muscle," he said. "How many times do I have to tell you that?" he said as he walked away.

Zuko fisted his hands and shivered once more. Training session was over, but he longed to make Iroh eat those words some day. He turned to look at Katara, who had obviously decided to give them a wide berth. He wasn't surprised; this session was much more "firey", active, and widely-ranged than most. He was surprised to see her not afraid, but exited.

"That was awesome..." she said shyly. Zuko smiled a little bit. Awesome... That gave him a real good feeling. On Katara's end, she wondered why Zuko held back in his past attempts to capture Aang, if he was really that good. Zuko escorted her back to the prisonhold, but when she came back, she found it... refurnished. A bright lamp had been hung on the wall, the mattress to the "bed" had been replaced, and she had a small nightstand.

Zuko decided to ask her satisfaction... "Like it? My uncle wouldn't allow me to give you a room, so I simply made this one better... if you don't mind..."

Katara smiled. "I love it! It's not so dreary anymore..." She walked to her room, and, before laying down to bed, she turned back and said, "Thanks, Prince Zuko."

"..." That was the first time she had referred to him by name. Prince Zuko! Only his uncle had ever referred to him as that since his banishment. That made him feel really good inside.

Hours passed. While Katara rested soundly, Zuko's own sleep was haunted by dreams... Dreams he did not like... Dreams of that fateful day...

/Zuko sat in his room, hand over the bandage that covered his eye. He moaned... This was all his fault. This would be the last time he'd see his room ever again, probably... And his father! How could he have done this to him? He was the prince... his son... No matter how he begged, his own father did this to him anyway. Zuko growled.../

/The Fire Lord looked into Zuko's fearful eyes, not intending to hold back. With a loud roar, he blasted Zuko in the face- Zuko barely had time to dodge it far enough for it to miss the center of his face; He howled in pain as the flame seared over the left side of his face... He could only see out of one eye... The other eye was coated with blood.../

Zuko finally awoke, holding his aching head. He peered over to his mirror. He loathed that ugly, ugly scar- It held painful memories. He wondered... Why do some people enjoy others' pain? Why do so many people see evil in Zuko? All he wanted was to go home- To be loved. But that would never happen. The Fire Lord had already crossed the line, blew it with a nuclear bomb coated with gasoline with a match tied to it...

Zuko silently passed by Katara's room, like a phantom... Hoping to find comfort. He looked into Katara's peaceful rest... Or was it? He had heard many stories, stories of Water Tribe deaths... He remembered some women casualties; that was what crossed the breaking point for Zuko's patience for the War. Perhaps Katara's family was among the casualties..? Perhaps..?

Zuko found the necklace. The one Katara referred to as "her mother's"... Perhaps this would be the perfect time to return it. As quietly as possible, Zuko slipped into the room, and left the necklace on the nightstand. It made a small "clink" noise as it was placed onto the wood, and Zuko ran off, so as not to be seen. Katara awoke, the fist thing she saw being a brown boot rounding the corner. She found the necklace and smiled as she put it on. She looked out to the hallway one last time, and, seeing no one, fell back asleep.

Zuko realized why others found him acting strangely; it was the Water Tribe girl. He was falling for her. Falling down a bottomless pit. He wondered if he should tell her... NO! Zuko slapped himself on the face. Who was he kidding? He was a brave Fire Nation prince, fighting for his honor. Katara was his hostage, his bait to capture the Avatar. He was the brutal, heartless warrior that he had looked up to as a child. He was... Falling in love. 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Prince Zuko hoped that perhaps meditating would calm his thoughts. It was so confusing... His concentration on the candles was the only thing that kept his head from splitting from his headache. This was probably his fault, too... Had he aimed better, or dodged the staff... Why? Why him? Why not Zhao, or Fire Lord Ozai? Things had been going downhill, since the Avatar escaped... With the help of Katara, and idiotic Sokka, whom he actually didn't know the name of.

There was a knocking. Zuko had left his door open again... "What is it, Uncle?" he said in a pained, annoyed tone.

"I need to talk to you about something, Prince Zuko," said Iroh. "Something important."

The candles flared. "What?"

"...I saw the Water Tribe girl with her necklace."

Zuko went blank.

"You gave it back to her. Why?"

Zuko considered this question... "...It... was the right thing to do."

Iroh frowned. "Nephew, you have changed. What's wrong?"

"...This is all my fault..."

"Huh?"

Zuko felt like crying, But he couldn't. Not now. "This all is. I should have kept my mouth shut. I should've..."

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced up to see Iroh standing beside him. "It's okay... It will be alright."

Zuko looked down. Iroh's support made him feel a little better. "I wish I didn't feel this way... I'm supposed to be strong... But I'm not..." Zuko paused. "I've never cared about anyone before."

Iroh's eyes softened. "I'll leave you to think about it, then."

With that, he left, shutting the door behind him.

Katara sat up in bed. She fingered at the charm on her necklace, thinking... Prince Zuko was acting different. He wasn't the Firebender she knew... In fact, she realized she didn't know him... Maybe she should. No... What of Sokka? He would not approve of her even interacting with him under her own free will... Aang would probably eish to stay neutral. But something about Zuko drew her to him... A longing, a want... Could she be falling for him, too?

No... Zuko could never love. He was born a Fire Nation prince... Even banished, he must abide by laws and morals. He was raised to be a tough fighter, to always win, no matter what the cost. Sokka would absoloutly kill her, as well. Aang wouldn;t like it at all, either.

What had she gotten herself into?

Zuko suddenly appeared at the prisonhold door. Katara held her breath. He walked in, and sat down beside her on her bed. He took in a deep breath. "Katara..."

Katara blinked. "...Yes?"

"I...I, uh... Are you happy here?" He just couldn't find the right words. He felt as if he were tripping over a thousand stones.

"...Sure, I guess... But I miss my brother, Sokka... And Aang sometimes..."

Zuko felt her pain. He missed his family, too. Everyone but his uncle, of course. His uncle lived with him on the ship, ever since he was banished... "I'm sorry..."

Katara looked down to the floor. "Hmmm."

Zuko leaned over and rested his elbows on his knees. He felt so awkward. "Umm... Are you hungry, or something?"

"...Have any pie?"

Zuko sat up and grinned. "Umm, yeah, I think we have some pie..."

He opened up the door, and the two walked to the galley together. Zuko looked at the chef and ordered, "I'd like... Umm... Two pieces of pie." Pie? Zuko had never said the word "pie" in a long time. It felt kind of weird.

The chef handed them two plates of pie, filled with some kind of strange, pink fruit, and the two sat down and ate. They avoided looking at eachother. 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Katara and Zuko walked back to their rooms, Katara stopping at hers first. Zuko looked off to the side, feeling a bit awkward. More awkward than he did saying "pie". "Thanks," said Katara, before going inside her room in the prisonhold.

...Zuko wondered if Katara felt the same way he did for her. He didn't know if he could go on without the answer. But he couldn't just go up and say, "Katara, do you love me?" No... It was more complicated than that. I musn't be taken lightly, he decided. Pehaps his only choice was to find out on his own...

Katara sat on her small bed, fingering her necklace. Just why had he given this back? He didn't want to give it back at first... Perhaps it was because bribing-with-the-necklace-plan was hopeless. Since she didn't actually ask for it back, maybe she could ask why he gave it back instead.

Eventually, Zuko sat down with his uncle. Before Zuko could say anything, Uncle Iroh scooted a cup of tea his way. He shrugged, took a sip, then slid a wooden piece toward Iroh's piece, assuming this game was supposed to be like checkers. The game silently went on for a while, with Zuko's occasional huffing when he lost a piece, and Iroh's loud sipping on his tea.

Finally, Iroh looked out the window. The sun was setting. "Almost time for the girl's nightly lockdown," he observed. Zuko scowled. The "nightly lockdown" was the time in which Katara's cell was locked, so she would not try to pull any weird escape-plans during the night. Otherwise, though, she was free to roam about, though she normally hung out around her room, or the galley when she became hungry. Zuko didn't like the lockdown idea one bit, but he knew it was necessary. Zuko pushed his chair back and walked up to his room. "Was it something I said?" asked Iroh as Zuko shut the door. He turned around and began picking up the game pieces when he received no answer.

Katara was well aware the nightly lockdown was approaching, so she decided that the best time to ask Zuko her question was before they both went to sleep.

She wandered up to Zuko's room. She leaned her ear against the door, and heard the flare of fire. What was he doing? She gently pushed the door open, and winced when it made a loud "creeeak" noise. Zuko was slowly executing his Firebending moves, making sure to get each movement right. Zuko froze, and his eyes focused on the cracked door. He quickly and hurridly straightened his posture and said, "...Who is it?"

Katara slowly pushed open the door some more, and quickly realized... Zuko wasn't wearing a shirt. And she thought his arms were muscular... Nothing campared to the rest. She quietly stepped in and shyly bowed her head. "...Hi."

Zuko blinked. "Um... Hi. What are you doing in here?" he asked, trying to not sound mean.

"Umm..." She pointed at him. "Where's your...-"

Zuko cut her off. "I didn't think anyone would be coming up here this late..." he said. "...And it gets kind of hot in here sometimes," he added.

Katara giggled, and Zuko's face flushed. "What are you laughing at?" he said in a nervous tone.

Katara waved her hands. "Nothing, nothing..." She looked over him, eyes stopping at his scar. Suddenly she didn't really care why he gave her nacklace back... "What happened to-"

Zuko cut her off again, and motioned her to sit on his bed. He sat down next to her, slipping his nightshirt on in the process, and wiped some sweat off his brow. "It kind of a long story... But it all started two years ago," he began. He shuddered a little when he began to explain exactly how he got the scar, but the rest of the story went smoothly after he started. "...And I've never really told anyone else before. The other people who know what happened know because they witnessed it... Fortunately, there weren't too many."

Katara set her hand over Zuko's. "I... I'm sorry..." she said guiltily.

"It isn't your fault," he reassured her. He drew back a bit when she rested her head on his shoulder, but he really didn't mind that much...

A while later, Iroh knocked on Zuko's door. "Zuko, do you know where-" He stopped when he saw the two sleeping, with Katara's head on Zuko's shoulder, and Zuko's head leaning on hers. He smiled and slowly shut the door. 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Katara and Zuko sat there the entire night. Katara awoke first, and immediately realized she was in Zuko's room. She didn't dare to move. She glanced up and noticd Zuko, still asleep. And leaning on her. She didn't want to wake him up, so she pretended to sleep.

A few minutes later, Zuko awoke as well. The side of his face had become sweaty from leaning on Katara's head for so long. He noticed this and sat up, rubbing his face. He looked down at Katara, who had been awake for a while now, and said tiredly, "...Good morning."

Katara breathed out. "Good morning..." She wiped her eyes.

Zuko looked at Katara. "Umm... Katara?"

"Yes?" she yawned.

"There's something... I want to tell you.

"What?" What did he want to tell her? What didn't she know at this point? In a matter of seconds thoughts were already buzzing about Katara's mind. She silently awaited his answer.

Suddenly, Zuko's door slammed all the way open. Iroh's silhouette could be seen in the doorway. "Prince Zuko! The Avatar is on the deck of the ship!"

Both Katara and Zuko looked shocked. Zuko bounded up and raced to the doorway when Katara grabbed him by the arm. "Don't," she said.

Zuko yanked his arm and brought the two extremely close together. Their bodies nearly touched each other, with Katara pulling back being the only reseistance. "Katara..." he said. His breath gently warmed her face. He was about to pull her closer when she jerked away, letting go of his arm. They stared into each other's faces for a moment, then Zuko turned and dashed away.

Katara sighed. She stood for a brief moment, wondering if that actually just happened, then took off after Zuko.

"Where's Katara?" Aang shouted at Zuko. "We're not leaving without her!"

Zuko growled and attacked Aang with a flurry of firey punches. Aang avoided them easily, but one burned him on the shoulder. "Owwww!"

Katara rushed out to see Aang and Zuko duking it out. She watched in horror as both of engaged in the deathmatch... Sokka fought from the sidelines, keeping the other soldiers busy.

Using his staff, Aang sent a large blast of air in Zuko's direction. It sent him crashing into a wall, side-first. Crack. He fell to the ground, gripping his right-hand wrist. Aang said, trying to sound unforgivinng, "I'm sorry, Zuko, but I will fight until you let Katara go."

"...Never..." he growled. "Never!" He stood, wincing as his broken wrist ached, and ran at Aang, preparing to shoot a large fire ball at Aang. He succeeded, only to see Aang splash a large wave onto the deck and douse the fire and Zuko. Steam rose from his body. His wrist had begun to swell. "...Come with me, and I will let her go."

Aang stopped. What was he supposed to do? Go with Zuko and reunite Katara with her brother, thus surrendering the world to the Fire Naton, or leave Katara with Zuko... What was worth more to him? Defiant, he whooshed another blast of air into Zuko. This time he slammed into the wall back-first. While still in midair, he shot a very large blast of fire at Aang. And, it would have struck him, had not Katara doused it.

"Stop it!" she shouted. "Stop it, both of you!" 


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Prince Zuko weakly opened his eyes to see Katara standing before him and Aang, ceasing the line of fire and blinked. Stop? Why? He was not nearly ready to stop. He wasn't going to let her go... Ever... "But Katara--"

She looked at him and glared. It wasn't purposely meant to hurt his feelings, but it did. "Zuko... I need to go with Aang."

Zuko scowled. Anger and resentment boiled inside, and it took every ounce of effort to not go off about it. "...FINE. GO," he barked.

Aang raised an eyebrow, still skeptical of Zuko. When nothing more was said, Aang looked to Katara and Sokka and said simply, "C'mon. Let's go." He walked over to Appa, with Sokka silently following.

Katara took one last look at Zuko, then turned to leave. "...Katara..." he whispered. She barely heard him, and she looked over her shoulder. He was standing there, looking at her. The look in his eyes made her nervous. "...I love you..." he continued, speaking quieter this time. Katara turned back around.

"...What?" she asked, telling herself that she didn't make out what he said.

"I love you..." he said a bit louder, but still quiet enough for no one else to hear. His eyes softened, hoping she would beleive him.

Katara shook her head in disbeleif. "No..." He couldn't. It would never happen. It would never work. Sokka, Aang... They wouldn't understand. No.

"Yes." Zuko assured her.

She backed away, still shaking her head. "...No..." She then turned back around and dashed to Appa.

In moments, they were gone. They had disappeared into the distant clouds. Prince Zuko looked up sadly.

By this time, Iroh had finally gathered a few soldiers after drinking a last-minute cup of tea. "...Where is he?" he asked. "Where did the Avatar go?"

Zuko refused to turn around. "He left... He left with her. She left..."

Katara regretfully looked over the back of Appa's saddle. Zuko's ship quickly disappeared from view. "Out of sight, out of mind..." she whispered to herself. But that wasn't true. Zuko's words still rang in her mind:

I love you.

Even after all of that had happened, it couldn't have been. Not in those few days. After all of that, Katara could only imagine a small friendship to form. But love? No. She denied her own thoughts, drowned them with doubt.

Back on Prince Zuko's ship, Iroh still couldn't beleive what he heard. "You couldn't keep them here long enough for me to gather up the men?"

"Yes." Zuko said. "But..."

"But what?"

"Uncle, do you know the man who said, 'If you love something, set it free'?"

"Umm... No..."

"Well, find out for me. And throw them in the dungeon."

From just that comment, Zuko expressed several emotions. Pain, anger, regret.

That night, they both looked up at the full moon, both wondering if the other was thinking of them, and looking up at that moon. 


End file.
